Explore records, photographs, and stories from the people and places that shaped our community.
Search Our DatabaseWelcome to the Benton County Historical Society & Museum
Preserving the stories, artifacts, and heritage of Benton County, Minnesota since 1949.
📅 Today in History
United States
• 1835 P.T. Barnum & his circus begin first tour of US
• 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey
Minnesota
• Ursa Minor became Minnesota’s state constellation in 2025.
• The Honeycrisp apple became Minnesota’s state fruit in 2006.
Benton County
• Voters approved moving the county seat back to Sauk Rapids in 1858.
• William A. Aitkin served as chairman of Benton County’s first board of commissioners.